The present invention relates to a manifold mounted with an electromagnetic valve.
A known manifold is shown in FIG. 7. The manifold is provided on its upper surface with a mounting face 1 on which a plurality of electromagnetic valves 2 are mountable and it is provided therein with a common supplying flow passage 3 for supplying pressure fluid to these electromagnetic valves 2 concentrically, a common discharging flow passage 4 for discharging exhaust gas from the electromagnetic valves 2 collectively, and individual output flow passages 5 for taking out output fluids from the respective electromagnetic valves 2, as understood from FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B), and the respective flow passages 3, 4 and 5 are caused to communicate with a plurality of connection ports 3b, 4b and 5b opened to a individual electromagnetic valve mounting area 1a on the mounting face 1 via branch holes 3a, 4a and 5a. Then, when the electromagnetic valves 2 are mounted on the mounting face 1, the connection openings 3b, 4b, 5ba are respectively in communication with fluid connection ports formed in the respective electromagnetic valves 2.
In a manifold of this type, since a plurality of fluid flow passages 3, 4 and 5 must be formed within a restricted volume so as not to interfere with one another positionally, there occurs often a case that the supplying flow passage 3 and the discharging flow passage 4 are formed at positions separated from each other, for example, as shown in FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B), and the connection ports 3b, 4b opened to the mounting face 1 are formed so as to be close to each other in relationship with each port of the electromagnetic valve 2. Also, since the output flow passage 5 also bypasses the other flow passages, branch holes or the like, it is formed at a position separated from the connection port 5b on the corresponding mounting face 1 in a side direction in many cases. Then, in such a case, the discharging flow passage 4 and the connection opening 4b for discharge formed at positions opposed to each other in a vertical direction can be connected to each other through the branch hole 4a bored from the mounting face 1 vertically and straightly, but the supplying flow passage 3 and the connection opening 3b for supply, and the output flow passage 5 and the connection opening 5b for output which are respectively put in a positional relationship where they are shifted from one another in a transverse direction must be respectively connected by the branch holes 3a and 5a bored inclined from the mounting face 1 obliquely and downwardly.
However, in order to bore the branch holes so as to be inclined obliquely from the mounting face in this manner, the manifold must be held in a state where it is inclined at a required angle at a time of machining thereof so that the working is troublesome and a complicated working machine is required, particularly, the working further becomes troublesome and much time and labor are required in case that a plurality of branch holes having different inclination angles are provided, or both vertical branch holes and inclined branch holes are provided.
A technical object of the present invention is to provide a manifold for an electromagnetic valve which is provided with a simple and reasonable design structure and where, even when a fluid flow passage inside the manifold and an opening on an electromagnetic valve mounting face are put in a positional relationship where they have been shifted from each other in a transverse direction, they can be caused to securely communicate with each other by a branch hole bored from the mounting face vertically and straightly.
In order to solve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a manifold comprising: one manifold main body provided inside with a plurality of fluid flow passages and at least one sub-plate which is mounted on the manifold main body and which is formed with a mounting face for an electromagnetic valve.
The manifold main body has a mounting face on which the sub-plate is to be mounted and a plurality of branch holes which extends from the mounting face vertically and straightly to communicate with the respective fluid flow passages, and the sub-plate has a plurality relay holes causing the respective branch holes to communicate with respective ports of the electromagnetic valve, the relay holes are at least one of the relay holes is formed at a position different from that of a corresponding branch hole, and the relay hole and the branch hole whose positions are different from each other communicate with each other via a recessed portion formed on a lower face of the sub-plate so as to stretch over the relay hole and the branch hole.
In this manner, according to the present invention, a manifold is divided into a manifold main portion and a sub-plate portion, vertical branch holes communicating with respective fluid flow passages in the manifold main body are formed in the manifold main body, a plurality of relay holes communicating with respective ports of an electromagnetic valve are formed in the sub-plate formed with a mounting face for the electromagnetic valve, and corresponding relay hole and branch hole are caused to communicating with each other in a recessed portion provided in the sub-plate, so that, even when the corresponding fluid flow passage and relay hole are put in a positional relationship where they have been shifted from each other in a transverse direction, they can be securely connected to each other by the branch hole bored in the manifold main body vertically.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the manifold main body and the sub-plate are respectively formed of metal material, and they are joined integrally by soldering joining faces thereof. In this case, in order to prevent a positional deviation between the manifold main body and the sub-plate at a time of soldering joint, it is preferable to provide positioning means comprising a projection and a recess that mutually engage each other.
According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the manifold main body is formed so as to be mountable with a plurality of electromagnetic valves, and the sub-plate is divided for each of individual electromagnetic valves.
According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, such a constitution can be employed that the manifold main body and the sub-plate are divided for each of individual electromagnetic valves, and they are constituted so a to be used by joining a plurality of the manifold main bodies and a plurality of the sub-plates.